Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $579 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
Learn more

Matara Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Matara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Toronto and in Matara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $579 in Matara, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Matara $579

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $845 in Matara, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Matara $845

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $1,112 in Matara, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Matara $1,112

Toronto costs about 342% more than Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while Matara is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$3.81 LKR 1,262

350.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$24.67 LKR 8,171

207.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$7.70 LKR 2,551

36.88%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$2.46 LKR 815

63.41%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.67 LKR 222

216.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.27 LKR 89.5

548.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$2.22 LKR 735

181.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$3.04 LKR 1,006

133.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.56 LKR 516

56.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$0.53 LKR 176

405.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$0.76 LKR 251

194.74%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$1.52 LKR 504

134.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$13.89 LKR 4,601

-34.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$4.98 LKR 1,651

127.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$7.39 LKR 2,449

96.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$6.70 LKR 2,220

-45.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.47 LKR 155

157.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$4.48 LKR 1,485

-19.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$0.85 LKR 281

395.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$0.97 LKR 322

84.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$0.62 LKR 206

156.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.93 LKR 308

144.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.46 LKR 151

171.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$9.74 LKR 3,227

41.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$13.05 LKR 4,321

9.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$1.85 LKR 612

18.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.91 LKR 963

-16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.29 LKR 94.6

724.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$0.40 LKR 134

627.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$0.37 LKR 123

224.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$0.87 LKR 288

2357.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.32 LKR 437

-8.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

-23.34%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

-50.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$120 CA$170

$46.01 LKR 15.2K

161.57%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.26 CA$45.60

$4.29 LKR 1,420

651.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$21.18 LKR 7,016

126.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$4.42 LKR 1,464

180.09%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$830 CA$1,173

$38.19 LKR 12.6K

2073.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$1,210 LKR 400.7K

1808.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$18.27 LKR 6,051

177.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$16.83 LKR 5,575

137.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$80.0 LKR 26.5K

22.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$41.05 LKR 13.6K

193.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$184 LKR 61.0K

765.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$89.1 LKR 29.5K

1482.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$106 LKR 35.2K

3406.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

12.69

-64.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Matara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Matara

$89 15.4% 93.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Matara

$232 40% 31.8% $108

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Matara

$104 18% 62.6% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Matara

$71 12.4% 64.4% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Matara

$70 12.1% 49.5% $69

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6% 97.4% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Matara

$8.8 * 1.5% 86% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto versus $184 in Matara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3407% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Toronto versus $25.00 in Matara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $232 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

03:16 3:16 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

100,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Matara 14,140 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Matara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Toronto vs Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 342%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Toronto and $868 in Matara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,561 in Toronto and $579 in Matara. That's a gap of about 342%.

Kindergarten costs $830 per month in Toronto and $38.19 in Matara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Toronto at $2,561. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Matara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.